Audience Member
This would have to be Australian filmmaking at it's lowest. 'Travelling Light' is a dull, flatly directed story with no redeeming qualities except for its accurate representation of the Adelaide in the 1970's. How this script was selected for funding will always remain a mystery to me. Kathyrn Millard has absolutely no vision as a director, especially when telling a story that has no value. How did our industry stoop this low? Who knows...
Rated 0.5/5 Stars •
Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars
01/31/23
Full Review
Audience Member
[font=Franklin Gothic Medium][color=navy]Travelling Light[/color]: The film isn't great but its ok, with a few bouts of laugh out aloud humour, as i find alot of australian films too be. The film actually reminded me alot of another australian film [/font][url="http://http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/TheRageInPlacidLake-10003227/preview.php"][font=Franklin Gothic Medium]The Rage in Placid Lake[/font][/url][font=Franklin Gothic Medium] except I felt that the actual plot was lacking in direction, sort of floating through sequences with an uncertain point to the story.. Set in Adelaide 1971 the main character, Leanne (Pia Miranda) dreams of more exciting life that involves photography, and freedom - from her parents, from her teaching school, and from the expectations of married life. Her sister, Bronwyn (Sacha Horler) is a unwilling housewife, who also dreams of going back to teaching (her husband wont allow it). Leanne and her two close friends, Gary (Tim Draxl) who works at the local television station, and Debra (Anna Torv) an actress wannabe are all drawn in by Lou (Brett Stiller), a charismatic american poet in adelaide on a book tour. He opens their eyes to the possiblity of reaching there dreams through poetry readings, breaking the bounds and the occasional comsumption of LSD. Overall its a feel good, happy ending kinda movie and i'm a big fan of Pia Miranda so i enjoy most stuff shes done, you might also recognise Brett Stiller who was in [/font][url="http://http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/GarageDays-1123968/"][font=Franklin Gothic Medium]Garage Days[/font][/url][font=Franklin Gothic Medium] with Pia. [/font]
[font=Franklin Gothic Medium][color=navy]Parklands[/color]: what is this doing here you ask.. well.. if you hire out Travelling Light, you'll get this bonus short film, done by the same director, featuring an early performance of Cate Blanchette.. not as good as travelling light.. i couldnt follow the storyline to start with, and had no idea where it was going or when it would finish.. also set in adelaide its about a cop who dies of a hearattack and his daughter going through his diaries and other stuff he had left behind and her trying to figure out who her father was.. i didn't really think much of it.. Blanchette was good in it though.. i'd only give this a 3/10.. ive seen many better shorts on sbs, and film comps.[/font]
[font=Franklin Gothic Medium][color=navy]Wilbur wants to kill himself:[/color] So when i was in Brisbane about 9months ago i was going to see this film at the dendy theatre there, as always i was running late and missed it. I hadnt thought much about the movie since then until today when i saw it in the local video shop.. so i hired it out, now i've only seen it once but that was enough i think.. the film was ok.. nothing fantastic like i half expected.. As the title suggests Wilbur wants to kill himself, and the first thing you see when the movie starts is Wilbur (Jamie Sives) taking fists full of pills, drowning them with water then trying to turn the gas on in his apartmen.. then he rings his brother, Harbour (Adrian Rawlins) who rushes to the rescue.. Next you see him in a Suicide group meeting and its obvious that this isnt the first time that hes tried it do this.. Throughout the first half of the film he tries a few more times, each as unsuccessful as the last, ends up moving in with Harbour (evicted because of the gas incident) into an old secondhand bookshop that their father has left them after his death.. There the brothers meet Alice (Shirley Henderson) a regular customer who sells old books she finds at the hostipal, where she works.. Each meeting her in quite different circumstances. After losing her job, she developes a romance with Harbour which then leads to marriage. When Harbour discovers he has cancer, Wilbur and Alice become closer, and develope a strong affection for each other when Harbour gets admitted into the hospital. When this occurs Wilbur starts to change his outlook on life, and finally stops trying to kill himself, instead embracing the good things in life .. such as Alice.. So thats the main gist without giving too much away.. Overall it was a sad movie, with a bittersweet ending. Performances were good allround.[/font]
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
02/01/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Its a film about a group of late teens / early 20's being awakened by an american poet to the possibility that they might escape the banality of suburban life. Think the film gets the feel of the 1970's absolutely spot on ... and its not too far off the mark in the way it depicts the hum-drum.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
02/23/23
Full Review
Audience Member
This is not a really crappy movie,its just very pointless. Its about nothing, doesnt go anywhere and fails to capture the imagination.
Boring.
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
02/12/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Pia Miranda is great in this flick. The Cinematography in this film is fantastic.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
01/25/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Weird and enjoyable. Lots of camera work, light and colours are pretty. characters are funny, and pretty and cool.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
02/07/23
Full Review
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